FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q1.  Are you crazy?

Answer:  Maybe…my husband did want to name this blog, “The Long Trailer” after Lucille Ball, since “Amelia” reminds him of this famous comedienne and lots of folks think that Amelia Earhart is silly.  But, we have money saved, a source of income and a reduction of expenses by renting out our home, and a cushion when we arrive back home after our travels.

Q2.  Are you bringing the dog?

Answer:  Yes, we are bringing the dog since she is part of our family.  We will go to campsites where she is allowed.

Q3.  Why go now?

Answer:  The rents are still high in Bend so we can rent out the home and make a slight profit.  The ages of our kids is right, so they can enjoy the experience but they are not too old that they might resent the experience.  Our ages are right, so we can get back into the workplace and still not be too old, in the eyes of employers.  Plus, we have the financial ability to do so and more importantly, the health to do so.  After all, the ability to retire early is all but gone; I cannot imagine traveling in an RV when I am in my 70′s and enjoying all the outdoor experiences that I can do now at our ages.

Q4.  Are you worried?

Answer:  Yes, there is fear and nervousness.  This is a big step we are taking to be sure but we have assessed all the benefits and risks and it is the right time for us to do this adventure.  Mostly, Amelia is worried about a grizzly attack at Glacier or Yellowstone; we will have bear spray at the ready!

Returning the Favor

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Back in September, we met Bob and Jadie, part of a wonderful family who lived in New York State.  After meeting them at the campground in Leitchworth State Park, they were so interested in our trip that they invited us to park the camper in the back yard of their house for the night.  Both families [...]

Robin’s Bird Nest

Robin's Nest

As some of you may recall, prior to our leaving on our year-long adventure, we found a family of squirrels living inside a porch column.  We were told that having squirrels nearby is considered a lucky sign or symbol.  However, it didn’t feel that way since the squirrel family dined on our wood, made a [...]

Redding, CA

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Almost home…..

Headed Home

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One year ago yesterday, we started our journey and it is about to come to an end. We are in San Francisco and will be back in Bend by the weekend.

The Best Laid Plans

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Most people have one or two New Year’s Resolutions that they make each year, and in a similar vein, we had several goals that we wanted to achieve during our year-long adventure.  Before we left, we had an idea of how the trip would go and what we wanted to see and do during our [...]

More “Stuff” – We Packed Too Much

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My friend Suzanne gave us an ominous warning which we clearly did not heed.  One of her specific suggestions, based on her six-month long RV trip, was not to pack too much stuff.  Oh boy, I wish we had listened to this suggestion more…now we have to live with the consequences.  Perhaps it would not [...]

Still Without a Phone

My Sprint account is still cancelled.  They were supposed to temporarily reactivate but have not done so.  I need a new wireless provider.

Cancelled by Sprint

Well, I knew that this might happen, but I thought I had escaped the executioner. I tried to make a call on my cell phone this morning and could not dial out.  This did not worry me too much as this has happened before, and was usually corrected with a phone restart or, at worst, [...]

Ancient Cave Paintings

Petroglyphs, Capitol Reef NP, UT

This was in the news today: World’s Oldest Cave Art Found—Made by Neanderthals? While on our trip, we visited about a dozen sites with petroglyphs and pictographs, although the ones we saw were only about 800 to 1500 years old.  Most of the sites we saw were made relatively recently, reportedly, by Mogollon, Pueblo, Hopi [...]

RV For Sale

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It has been on the market for a couple of weeks, but I thought I would put the links up here, in case anyone of our millions of readers are interested. Craigslist ad is here: http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/rvs/3069621065.html And the RV Trader ad can be seen here: http://www.rvtrader.com/listing/2007-Winnebago-Access-Wf231c-104278034  

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